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Vehicles in Burn Zone

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Vehicle FAQ

Vehicles from Burn Zone in Possession of the County

Must claim your intact vehicle and/or belongings within vehicle, if listed below, BEFORE MARCH 31, 2024.

The County of Maui Dept. of Environmental Management: Abandoned Vehicles & Metals Section announces the list below, as an effort to inform the owners of said vehicles that they can claim their vehicle and/or their belongings from it. This list contains the only vehicles that were removed by the County of Maui from Lahaina burn zones, for various required reasons. These vehicles have been towed to a storage yard because they were deemed either salvageable, intact, and/or not-burned. Click here for full news release.

If your vehicle is listed here

This indicates it was not burned, that there was minimal damage to it, and was deemed as potentially salvageable. Please call the County AVM office at (808) 270-6102 as soon as possible to discuss and decide whatever action you would like to take regarding your vehicle if listed above. The County makes no warranty regarding the condition of any of these vehicles.

Please call us (808) 270-6102 for more information, questions, and actions you would like to take BEFORE March 31, 2024! THIS LIST OF VEHICLES WILL BE DISPOSED OF AND RECYCLED AT HAMMERHEAD METALS ON MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2024.

Owners can see their vehicle before deciding whether they want to claim the vehicle or request that it be scrapped at no cost to the owner. Belongings can be retrieved from inside the vehicle; having the vehicle title will not be necessary. The County EPS/AVM Section would need to confirm an owner’s identity to ensure it matches the name on the title based on County Division of Motor Vehicles & Licensing records.

The majority of the intact/not-burned vehicles from public roadways in the burn zone were left in place. This list includes the only vehicles that were required to be moved sooner due to debris removal, and are still in possession of the County.

Damaged Vehicles in Public Right-of-Way

Vehicle owners were requested to submit vehicle information by Oct. 27 to assist County of Maui with identifying vehicles in public roads and areas

The County of Maui identified fire-damaged or destroyed vehicles found on public roadways and other right-of-way areas following the August 2023 Maui wildfires. To help with this effort, the County of Maui’s Abandoned Vehicle and Metals Office requested information from vehicle owners that assisted with vehicle identification and management. Vehicle owners were asked to either fill out a Damaged Vehicles Form or contact the County of Maui’s Abandoned Vehicle and Metals Office at 808-270-6102 by Oct. 27, 2023.

Please note: You may still contact the Abandoned Vehicles and Metals Office after Oct. 27, 2023 for information although your vehicle may already be cataloged, and possibly removed and/or recycled after this date.

Who needs to get in touch with the County?

As a part of the recovery effort, the County of Maui began assisting residents with the identification and initiation of the recycling of their damaged or destroyed vehicles found on public roadways. The County of Maui requested that residents fill out this form or contact the Abandoned Vehicle and Metals Office by October 27, 2023 if they had a vehicle in the Lahaina or Kula fire disaster zones that meet ALL the following criteria:

  • Your vehicle was parked on a PUBLIC roadway or PUBLIC area within the disaster area
  • You have not already retrieved your vehicle
  • You have not already filed a claim for the vehicle under your car insurance

Vehicles remaining on public roadways or in public areas within the disaster area may be recycled as part of the cleanup effort unless the vehicle owner submits the following form or contacts the Abandoned Vehicles and Metals Office at (808) 270-6102 (ph. 270-6102) by October 27, 2023.

Vehicle owners, including Car Rental Businesses, whose vehicles were left on a public road or in public area within the Lahaina or Kula fire disaster zones must have filled out a Damaged Vehicle Form or contact the County of Maui’s Abandoned Vehicle and Metals Office at 808-270-6102 by October 27, 2023. Those who are unsure of the status of their vehicle that was left in the public right-of-way should also contact the County or complete the form. Individuals who have already filed an insurance claim for their vehicle through their automobile insurance provider may also fill out the form and request or provide additional information, although your vehicle may be managed directly by your insurance provider rather than the County of Maui.

Purpose of vehicle identification process

This process helped the County to identify and document the estimated 1,000 vehicles that were in public right-of-way areas following the fires. Under federal law, vehicles declared a total loss must be reported to the National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System (NMVTIS), a national database that protects purchasers of used cars from concealed vehicle histories nationwide. The County has now completed this process as part of the documentation effort.

Information collected from vehicle owners has helped the County to assist these owners with their desired vehicle management options. Public right-of-way vehicles that remain in the disaster area may be recycled as part of the fire debris cleanup effort unless the vehicle owner had submitted the Damaged vehicle form or contacts the Abandoned Vehicles and Metals Office by Oct. 27, 2023.

Additionally, the timely work to clear and remove damaged and destroyed vehicles from the public right-of-way helped to prepare for other phases of recovery to begin. Learn more about the Recovery and Rebuilding phases here.

Dangers of fire-damaged electric vehicles (EVs)

Owners of electric vehicles (EVs) should NOT attempt to start, work on, or sit in their vehicle that remains in the disaster area – this includes all types of EVs, including hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles. Fire-damaged EVs are likely to be very dangerous. A separate recovery plan for the safe handling and disposal of EVs is currently in development by the County of Maui.

What information will I need to have available in order to complete the Damaged vehicles form or get over the phone assistance from the County of Maui Abandoned Vehicle and Metals Office?

You will want to have the following information available to provide when filling out the form or calling the County of Maui Abandoned Vehicle and Metals Office. If you are missing any pieces of this information, please still complete the process as best you can.

  • Your full legal name as it was printed on your vehicle title of ownership
  • Current phone number, email, and mailing address
  • Last known location of your vehicle (best nearby address or cross streets)
  • The vehicle license plate number
  • The 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
  • Description of the vehicle (brand, make, color, gas/electric/hybrid)
  • Re-entry zone where vehicle located, if known (according to the zone map )
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FAQs for Damaged Vehicles

Why do I need to fill out the County of Maui’s burned vehicle form?

Under federal law, the state is required to report vehicles declared a total loss to the National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System(NMVTIS), a national database that protects purchasers of used cars from concealed vehicle histories nationwide.​Completing the form will help the County of Maui to identify and document vehicles found in public areas.For damaged vehicles, the collected information will also help the County to best assist vehicle owners with their desired vehicle management options.​Additionally, the timely work to clear and remove damaged and destroyed vehicles from the public right-of-way helps to prepare for other phases of recovery to begin.

What information will I need to have available in order to complete the burned vehicle form?

You will want to have the following information available to provide when filling out the form or calling the County of Maui Abandoned Vehicle and Metals Office. If you are missing any pieces of this information, please still complete the process as best you can.

  • Your full legal name as it was printed on your vehicle title of ownership
  • Current phone number, email, and mailing address
  • Last known location of your vehicle (best nearby address or cross streets)
  • The vehicle license plate number
  • The 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
  • Description of the vehicle (brand, make, color, gas/electric/hybrid)
  • Re-entry zone where vehicle located, if known (according to the zone map here)
My car rental business may have damaged or destroyed rental vehicles in the disaster area. What should I do?

If you have not already been in communication with the County ofMaui Abandoned Vehicle and Metals Office about your vehicles, please fill out a burned vehicle form or contact 808-270-6102 by October 27, 2023.

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